LONDON, ENGLAND, December 23, 2011 (Press-News.org) Some signs are emerging that the executive-level diversity landscape is changing. Looking at individual cases paints a promising picture of women beginning to dominate the boardroom. Some of the world's largest technology companies are now led by women, Meg Whitman is president and chief exec at HP and Virginia Rometty is soon to assume the same role at IBM. Closer to home, Ruby McGregor-Smith is CEO of MITIE (and non-executive director at Michael Page) and Angela Ahrendts and Cynthia Carroll have led FTSE 100 listed Burberry and Anglo American respectively for several years.
However, it's in isolation that these examples reflect positively. According to an article published in the Evening Standard on 4 November 2011, "women still account for only 14% of FTSE 100 directors and critics argue that progress towards greater equality remains too slow."
Busting the gender imbalance
To help increase the rate at which workplace gender imbalance is addressed, the government and industry have instigated a range of initiatives to investigate, explain and offer practical ways to secure increased female representation.
In early November, the creation of the Women's Business Council was announced by Theresa May, the home secretary and minister for women and equalities. The 10-strong council will share advice with ministers on how to increase contributions from women to future economic growth. Focus will be placed on mentoring programmes for female entrepreneurs, and the provision of advice about finance and work-life balance.
Alongside this, in the private sector, Management Today were launching the Inspiring Women networking programme, which hopes to boost the profile of women at work with mentoring activity, expertise sharing and practical input.
Lord Davies and the 30% Club
Much of this recent activity stems from recommendations made by Lord Davies after his independent review published in February 2011. Suggestions include organisations setting targets for the number of women they aim to have on their boards, and for the executive search community to introduce a voluntary code of conduct to address gender diversity and determine best practice to ensure this through search related activity.
The response was the creation of the 30% Club, a voluntary initiative for members of the executive search industry to take part in, to ensure each stage of the recruitment process works towards the ultimate aim of 30% female representation at senior leadership level in the UK's top companies by 2015.
Michael Page Executive Search is proud to sign up to the 30% Club - not because of 'diversity for diversity's sake' but because a gender balance at all areas in an organisation makes sense - it encourages the right mix of skills, track record and experience for ultimate commercial success.
What Theresa May said to us...
In an exclusive update to Michael Page Executive Search, Theresa May commented, "Addressing the gender imbalance in our boardrooms is an absolutely necessary part of growing our economy. The most forward thinking companies are realising that women can bring fresh perspectives, new ideas and experience to their boards. They know that a company board that better reflects its customers is better able to understand their needs. And they know that there is growing evidence that companies with more diverse boards do indeed perform better, with greater returns on equity and faster growth.
Executive Search companies have a key role in supporting greater diversity and I would strongly encourage all of them to sign up to the diversity code launched earlier this year."
We also debated the topic of women rising through the ranks in our LinkedIn group. To get involved in the discussion, please join us at Michael Page Executive Search - UK.
Michael Page International has 35 years expertise in professional services recruitment. Over this period we've grown organically to establish ourselves as one of the best-known and most respected consultancy companies, employing more than 5,350 people in over 156 offices and 32 countries worldwide. For more information, please see the Michael Page website at http://www.michaelpageinternational.com.
Tackling Gender Inequality in the Boardroom
The lack of women in top jobs has been debated by industry for years. Is the situation slowly rectifying itself, or is intervention necessary to ensure equal representation? Daniella Thomas, principal at Michael Page Executive Search, investigates.
2011-12-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
MRI scan 'better' for heart patients
2011-12-23
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for coronary heart disease is better than the most commonly-used alternative, a major UK trial of heart disease patients has shown.
The findings by University of Leeds researchers could change the way that people with suspected heart disease are assessed, potentially avoiding the need for tests that are invasive or use ionising radiation.
Full results of the study, which was funded by a £1.3 million grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), are published online today by the Lancet medical journal.
Coronary heart disease ...
How bacteria fight flouride
2011-12-23
Yale researchers have uncovered the molecular tricks used by bacteria to fight the effects of fluoride, which is commonly used in toothpaste and mouthwash to combat tooth decay.
In the Dec. 22 online issue of the journal Science Express, the researchers report that sections of RNA messages called riboswitches – which control the expression of genes — detect the build-up of fluoride and activate the defenses of bacteria, including those that contribute to tooth decay.
"These riboswitches are detectors made specifically to see fluoride," said Ronald Breaker, the Henry ...
Genetic study of black chickens shed light on mechanisms causing rapid evolution in domestic animals
2011-12-23
The genetic changes underlying the evolution of new species are still poorly understood. For instance, we know little about critical changes that have happened during human evolution. Genetic studies in domestic animals can shed light on this process due to the rapid evolution they have undergone over the last 10,000 years. A new study published today describes how a complex genomic rearrangement causes a fascinating phenotype in chickens.
In the study published in PLoS Genetics researchers at Uppsala University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, North Carolina ...
Rapid evolution in domestic animals sheds light on the genetic changes underlying evolution
2011-12-23
A new study describes how a complex genomic rearrangement causes a fascinating phenotype in chickens in which a massive expansion of pigment cells not only makes the skin and comb black, but also results in black internal organs. Published in PLoS Genetics, researchers at Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, North Carolina State University, and National Chung-Hsing University investigated the genetic basis of fibromelanosis, a breed characteristic of the Chinese Silkie chicken.
"We have shown that the genetic change causing fibromelanosis ...
Chinese fossils shed light on the evolutionary origin of animals from single-cell ancestors
2011-12-23
All life evolved from a single-celled universal common ancestor, and at various times in Earth history, single-celled organisms threw their lot in with each other to become larger and multicellular, resulting, for instance, in the riotous diversity of animals. However, fossil evidence of these major evolutionary transitions is extremely rare.
The fossils, reported this week in Science, preserve stages in the life cycle of an amoeba-like organism dividing in asexual cycles, first to produce two cells, then four, eight, 16, 32 and so on, ultimately resulting in hundreds ...
Canine Trade Group Opens New 300-Acre Training Facility in Dover, Delaware
2011-12-23
One of the most extensive US-based dog training companies, Canine Trade Group, is proud to introduce a new 300 acre training facility in Dover, Delaware where its Professional Dog Trainer's Course will be held. Owned and operated by world-renowned dog trainer John Van Olden, Canine Trade Group offers customized training programs for dog trainers and their dogs. The new Dover Training Facility boasts a private, 20-run climate controlled kennel, an abundance of training field space, as well as accommodations such as on-site lodging or a country inn located less than a mile ...
Scientists engineer mosquito immune system to fight Malaria
2011-12-23
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have demonstrated that the Anopheles mosquito's innate immune system could be genetically engineered to block the transmission of malaria-causing parasites to humans. In addition, they showed that the genetic modification had limited impact on the mosquito's fitness under laboratory conditions. The researchers' findings are published December 22nd in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens.
In this study, Dimopoulos and his team genetically engineered Anopheles mosquitoes to produce higher than normal levels ...
Double trouble: Concomitant immune challenges result in CNS disease
2011-12-23
A research team led by Glenn Rall at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA developed a novel mouse model to show that a fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease can be caused by a pathogen that does not replicate in the CNS. The results of this new study are published December 22nd in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens.
The authors found that the immune response induced in response to a peripheral viral infection can be "mis-recruited" to the brain, where these activated immune cells can then lead to inflammation-induced neuropathology and disease. While ...
CAD for RNA
2011-12-23
The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based sustainable production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic ...
For every road there is a tire
2011-12-23
KANSAS CITY, MO -- Life is complicated enough, so you can forgive the pioneers of DNA biology for glossing over transcriptional elongation control by RNA polymerase II, the quick and seemingly bulletproof penultimate step in the process that copies the information encoded in our DNA into protein-making instructions carried by messenger RNA.
In a new report appearing in the Dec. 23, 2011, issue of Molecular Cell, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research add not just a new layer, but a whole new dimension to transcriptional elongation control with evidence ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Forty years of tracking trees reveals how global change is impacting Amazon and Andean Forest diversity
Breathing disruptions during sleep widespread in newborns with severe spina bifida
Whales may divide resources to co-exist under pressures from climate change
Why wetland restoration needs citizens on the ground
Sharktober: Study links October shark bite spike to tiger shark reproduction
PPPL launches STELLAR-AI platform to accelerate fusion energy research
Breakthrough in development of reliable satellite-based positioning for dense urban areas
DNA-templated method opens new frontiers in synthesizing amorphous silver nanostructures
Stress-testing AI vision systems: Rethinking how adversarial images are generated
Why a crowded office can be the loneliest place on earth
Choosing the right biochar can lock toxic cadmium in soil, study finds
Desperate race to resurrect newly-named zombie tree
New study links combination of hormone therapy and tirzepatide to greater weight loss after menopause
How molecules move in extreme water environments depends on their shape
Early-life exposure to a common pollutant harms fish development across generations
How is your corn growing? Aerial surveillance provides answers
Center for BrainHealth launches Fourth Annual BrainHealth Week in 2026
Why some messages are more convincing than others
National Foundation for Cancer Research CEO Sujuan Ba Named One of OncoDaily’s 100 Most Influential Oncology CEOs of 2025
New analysis disputes historic earthquake, tsunami and death toll on Greek island
Drexel study finds early intervention helps most autistic children acquire spoken language
Study finds Alzheimer's disease can be evaluated with brain stimulation
Cells that are not our own may unlock secrets about our health
Caring Cross and Boston Children’s Hospital collaborate to expand access to gene therapy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia
Mount Sinai review maps the path forward for cancer vaccines, highlighting promise of personalized and combination approaches
Illinois study: How a potential antibiotics ban could affect apple growers
UC Irvine and Jefferson Health researchers find differences between two causes of heart valve narrowing
Ancien DNA pushes back record of treponemal disease-causing bacteria by 3,000 years
Human penis size influences female attraction and male assessment of rivals
Scientists devise way to track space junk as it falls to earth
[Press-News.org] Tackling Gender Inequality in the BoardroomThe lack of women in top jobs has been debated by industry for years. Is the situation slowly rectifying itself, or is intervention necessary to ensure equal representation? Daniella Thomas, principal at Michael Page Executive Search, investigates.